Thank You, Homelander

Madelyn went on to reveal some of Vought International's confidential secrets to Ron.

Such as the existence of Compound V.

There were no chosen ones of God, no people born with superpowers. They were all superhumans created by injecting Compound V from infancy.

So-called superheroes were actually a colossal scam meant to deceive the public.

Every superhero had been selected as a baby, injected with Compound V, and bound by a nondisclosure agreement with their family before being recruited into the company once they developed suitable powers.

Countless infants had been used as test subjects. If this news got out, it would be enough to shock the entire world.

But Ron's expression remained cold, and his heart did not stir in the slightest.

He had long known Vought's secrets regarding superheroes and Compound V.

What Madelyn said next was something new.

"Not everyone develops useful powers, and not everyone grows up with a personality suited to becoming one of Vought's superheroes.

Whenever that happens, we need to take certain measures."

Madelyn, Vought's vice president, gave a soft laugh. Beneath her smile lay cruel darkness and bloodshed.

Vought could not constantly monitor every family around the world that had received Compound V injections, nor could it control their beliefs and upbringing.

But whenever someone foolishly stepped out to cause Vought 'trouble,' Vought could send someone to deal with it, then use its immense influence to easily cover everything up afterward.

"For example, this case happened yesterday in New York."

She took out several photographs and laid them on the table.

Several fully armed gangsters holding guns, and corpse after corpse that looked as if they had been attacked by a beast—their faces torn apart, their eyes gouged out. The scene was bloody and brutal.

"A superhuman crime."

He glanced at them. Ordinary people did not possess that kind of strength, and the setting in the corpse photos reminded him of someone from the original story.

Kimiko Miyashiro from The Boys.

"Originally, Vought hadn't noticed this matter. A-Train, who worked for Homelander, covered it up first.

"My influence has changed the plot again."

"Vought's superheroes must give the public an endless sense of security. Every one of them has to be an unbeatable superhuman, so the company's stock price can remain stable."

Madelyn said seriously.

"So there can only ever be superheroes in this world, never supervillains."

He teasingly finished what Madelyn had left unsaid.

Petty thieves and robbers could not defeat superheroes. Those battles had no suspense.

But supervillains represented the possibility of defeating superheroes, which was bad for Vought's stock price.

"Ron, the company wants you to handle this matter."

"Me?"

Rubbing his chin, Ron felt that something was off.

Vought had always assigned Black Noir to handle this sort of thing. Why had they come to him?

"Listen, Ron..."

Madelyn smiled and continued with a few more words.

Walking out of the vice president's office, Ron understood the implication behind Madelyn's words. Edgar intended to let him enter upper management.

So they had revealed Vought's darkness, which could not be shown to outsiders, and then asked him to personally conceal that darkness—as a test of whether he could become one of them, or perhaps an offering of loyalty?

"If I enter Vought's upper ranks, can I figure out what trump card Vought has against Homelander?"

Walking down the corridor, he pondered it silently.

As long as Vought's upper management was not foolish, having created a monster like Homelander that could destroy the world, they definitely had a contingency to deal with him.

"Homelander's clone? A stronger superhuman? Or something that counters the powers awakened by Compound V?"

Several guesses flashed through Ron's mind.

Only by figuring those things out could he find a way to take control of the massive entity known as Vought.

"Kimiko can wait. Something more important is happening on the other side of the ocean, and nothing can go wrong."

With a cold smile, he used Teleportation and vanished from where he stood.

"How did it go?"

Edgar's steady voice came through from the other end as the call connected.

"Sir, Ron agreed."

Madelyn reported from behind her desk.

"What was his reaction when you told him about the company's rather cruel secrets that outsiders aren't meant to know?"

Whether Ron agreed or not was not actually the main point of this matter.

"He didn't seem to care much."

She thought back and answered.

He had seemed somewhat indifferent, and his expression had barely changed.

"Oh? Good."

Although Vought had more than two hundred superheroes under its banner, he did not want Ron to truly possess the childish, laughable temperament of a superhero.

Ron had been getting quite close to that naïve young girl who had dreamed of becoming a superhero since childhood, which worried him somewhat.

"This also proves from another angle that, if the worst comes to pass, Starlight probably won't be able to restrain him."

"Yes."

Holding the phone, Madelyn carefully nodded along and once again reflected on her mistake.

"She is only a girlfriend who can be replaced at any time.

"I simply hadn't considered things thoroughly enough yesterday."

"Enough. Let this matter rest."

The voice on the other end interrupted her and spoke slowly.

"I'll discuss it with the board. Once this matter is completed, we'll make him one of us."

After setting down the disconnected phone, Madelyn, now in her forties, let out a long breath. She picked up the work badge on her desk bearing her name and vice president title, glanced at it, and felt complicated emotions well up inside her.

Ron had only joined the company a few days ago, yet his position was about to surpass hers.

Deep blue seawater stretched below, one hundred meters above the Atlantic Ocean.

A transatlantic flight from Paris to Chicago had been hijacked by airborne terrorists.

Four hijackers had taken control of the entire plane, and the unarmed passengers had become hostages.

"Shut up! Nobody wants to get hurt, right?"

Two of the hijackers held daggers as they coldly warned the screaming, terrified passengers in the cabin.

"Stay in your seats."

With savage expressions, they pointed at the body of a flight attendant nearby who had tried to resist. It was undoubtedly the best example.

Under the immense danger, panic spread through the cabin as men, women, young and old trembled helplessly.

"Oh God, someone save us!"

Hiss! Hiss!

Suddenly, the cabin door was opened from outside. The pressure inside and outside the plane became unbalanced, producing a powerful suction force, and one hijacker screamed as he was sucked straight out.

A beautiful, heroic figure leaped inside.

Another tall hijacker charged forward with an angry roar, only to have his neck snapped cleanly and efficiently.

"Maeve, it's Queen Maeve.

"She came to save us! Thank God!"

Inside the cabin, the hostages clung tightly to their seats as excited cheers erupted.

Whenever she saved people in danger and saw hope flare in their eyes at the sight of her, their faces blooming with delighted surprise, she felt a wave of joy and satisfaction.

"Alright, everyone, stay where you are. Everything will be fine soon."

Maeve tossed back her hair, looking valiant and dashing as she strode toward the hijacker guarding the cockpit.

"Maybe you'll even make it to your destination on time."

Seeing Maeve, the hijacker fearfully raised his hands, intending to surrender. He knew how formidable Queen Maeve was.

But a heat ray ruthlessly and precisely pierced through his chest, killing him.

Homelander flew in with red light glowing in his eyes, wearing his standard smile as he casually shut the cabin door behind him.

"Evil has been punished.

"It's all over. You're safe now, everyone."

His arrival prompted even louder cheers.

"Homelander!..."

The hostages felt even more relieved. They had all read that morning's front-page headlines in major newspapers and news websites and witnessed Homelander's godlike power.

"Thank you, Homelander. You saved us. You're a hero!"